Door lift mechanism



April 10, 1945. A. BEAUCHAMP DOOR LIFT MECHANISM Filed July 30, 1943 U QQ //v VENTOE W/LFFED A. DEfiI/CHHMP Patented Apr. 10, 1945 DOOR LIFTMECHANISM Wilfred A. Beauehamp, Chicago, Ill., assignor to TheYoungstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication July so, 1943, Serial No. 496,752

Claims.

This invention relates to door lift mechanisms. The objects of thisinvention are to provide lift mechanisms for sliding doors of railwayhouse cars which shall embody relatively few, simple and inexpensiveparts; reduce the number of] castings required; be easily operable ineither direction in a plane parallel to the door; and so reduce theoverall dimension between mechanisms on opposite sides of the car that asingle standard is created applicable to cars of varying widths.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the descriptionthereof proceeds. t In the drawing forming part of this specifica- 1on:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a sliding car door mounted on arailway house car and equipped with a lift mechanism embodying theinstant invention, parts being broken away to more clearly show theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

F lFig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the invention isshown applied to a sliding lift door ill of a railway house car. Thedoor l0 may be of any desired construction. The one illustrated embodiesa metallic panel H formed with a plurality of horizontal corrugations I2and reinforced by means of front and rear vertical stiffeners l3 and I4.Adjacent its lower edge the panel H is offset outwardly, as indicated atIE, to form a depending flange 46 disposed substantially in the outerplane of the door. The flange IS in conjunction with a reinforcing plateH and a bottom reinforcing Z-bar l3 constitute a box section for thelower portion of the door, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawing. The Z-bar I8 is so disposed that one flange 19 thereof to whichthe backing plate I! is secured lies behind a substantiallychannel-shaped door supporting track 20 which is secured in position bymeans of a plurality of track brackets 2| fastened as by means of rivets22 to a channel-shaped reinforcing member 23 for an angle side sill 24.The car also embodies a threshold plate 25 supported outwardly of theside sill by means of an angle 26. The threshold plate is formed with adepending flange 21 bent outwardly to form a lip 28 lying below theflange IQ of the bottom reinforcing Z-bar I8 and cooperating therewithto exclude snow, dust and the like from the car.

As more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing the door in itsnormal lowered position is adapted to be seated directly upon the trackin friction-a1 engagement therewith. In order to open or close the door,the lift mechanism of the instant invention is provided. By means ofthis mechanism the door is first elevated above the track and supportedupon rollers and then moved in opening or closing direction.

This lift mechanism comprises a plurality of and reflected light spacedroller and roller housing assemblies 29.

Each assembly is disposed within the box section at the lower .portionof the door and embodies a pair of plates 30 and 3|. A roller 32 havinga roller bearing 33 is mounted between the plates in engagement with thetrack 20. A roller 34 disposed above the roller 32 is also mountedbetween the plates 3i] and 3i. Each of these plates beyond the rollersis offset as indicated at 35 topermit securement of the plates to aconnecting bar 36, as more clearly shown in Fig. '1 of the drawing. Theopposite end of each of the connecting bars 36 is disposed between andpivotally secured to a pair of ears 3'! and 38, or 39 and 40, formed onan actuating member 4!. The actuating member carries trunnions 42 and 43journalled in bearing plates 44 and 45, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and4 of the drawing. The trunnion 43 of the actuating member is reduced insection as indicated at 46 and extended outward- 1y beyond the panel IIso that an operating lever 4'! may be mounted thereon. It will beobserved from Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawing that a portion of the panelII is offset inwardly, as indicated at 48 so as to maintain the outerface of the lever within the outer plane of the door. To aid inmaintaining the lever 41 on the trunnion 43 and to guide the lever inits movement the downwardly extending arcuate flange 49 of a member 50fastened to a panel I l cooperates with an upstanding flange 5| of aZ-shaped clip 52 secured tothe inner face of the lever 41. It will beseen that the actuating member 4] lies within the box section at thebottom of the door and that the lever 41 is disposed outwardly of thedoor.

A plurality of members 53 are secured to the door within the boxsection. Each of these members is disposed above a roller and rollerhousing assembly 29. As more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawing, member 53 is substantially z-shaped in section and embodies anattaching flange 54, a web 55, which is inclined downwardthey areadapted to be engaged by the rollers 34 of the roller and roller housingassemblies. As indicated hereinabove, the rollers 32 are adapted toengage the door supporting track 20, openings 5'! and 58 being formed inthe web of the Z- shaped bottom reinforcing member for this purpose.

- In order to move the door the operating lever 41 is pulled in thedirection in which it is desired to move the door. Movement of the leverimparts corresponding rotation to the :actuatmg member and a pull uponthe connecting bars 36. Such apull is exerted upon theconnecting barsirrespective of the direction in which the lever is moved. As a resultof the movement of the connecting bars 36, the roller andn'nller housingassemblies 29 are moved toward each other. In this movement the rollers32 move upon the track 20 :and the rollers 3'4 engage and .rollalong-the underside of the webs 55 of the members 53. Due -to theinclination of these webs the rollers 04 exert an upward :force 'uponthe members 53 causing, the door itQ be iii-ted :above'the track and tobesupported upon therol-lerand roller-housing assemblies. ,The :door canthen Joe moved .in the desired direction. when the lever ;-is releasedat the end of such movement, the doorwil-l automatically :lower andagain :seat itself friction-ally upon the track. i

.It will :berapparent :from the foregoing description that the liftmechanism embodying the instant invention i veryeffectiize .for itsintended purpose. The members an and 51 of the roller and roller homingassemblies may :readily be formed of plates, thereby reducing the numberof castings heretofore -.required. 'Ilhe :lift mechais double-acting andsince the operating lever ismintained substantially within the outerplane of the door; the overall dimension between mechanisms :on oppositesides of the roar ishel-d to a minimum :so that the described mechanismmay b used :npon \cars of diflenent widths. .A singlestandardzil-ifztmech-anism isitlrerebyicneated.

it will :beapparent that-numerous changes and modifications inthedetailspf theinvention will be clear 'to thoserskilled in the amt. 1tisiintended, therefore, that ailmich modifications omdohanges becomprehended'iwhtlnin this invention, which is tobezlimited onry by thescope :of the claims appended hereto- 1 it claim? ll. Allftmechanismior'slintogwcar doors comprising :a plurality of spaced roller androller housing assemblrieseach of said assemblies embodying a pair of:p'late members, ,a main track engaging roller rotatably secured betweensaid piatemembers and a second :roller rota-tably secured between :said'plate members above :said

1 main roller, oppositely inclined ,membersadapted to be fastenedto saiddoor, said second rollers being engageable 'withsaid inclined members,an

actuating member adaptedto be journalled in said door between saidassemblies, a bar connecting each assembly with said actuating member,and a lever mounted upon said actuating member.

2. A lift mechanism for sliding car doors comprising a plurality ofspaced roller and roller housing assemblies, each of said assembliesembodying a pair of rollers rotatably secured to a roller housing,oppositely inclined members adapted to be secured 'to said door, anactuating member adapted to be journalled in said door, a connecting barextending from said actuating member to each of said assemblies, and alever mounted upon said actuating member, said lever being operabletorotate said actuating member and impart Ebod'ily movement to saidassemblies toward each other through said bars, one of said rollers .ofeach assembly being adapted to roll upon a door surrporting track andthe other of said rollers to roll along under an inclined member toelevate :said door during said movement of :said assemblies.

3. In a sliding lift :door for railway house cars having a box sectionalong the lower margin thereof, spaced substantial-1y Z-shaped membershaving oppositely inclined webs secured within said box section, aroller and roller housing assembly disposed below each of said Z-shapedmembers, each assembly embodying a pair of rollers rotatably secured to'a roller housing, one of said rollers being engageable with a track forsaid door .and the other roller :being engageabie with said web, andmeans on said \door connected with .said assemblies 'for impartingmovement thereto toward each other to lift said door.

4. In a sliding .liit .door for railway houseca'rs having a box sectionalong .the lower margin thereof, spaced oppositely inclined members:secured within said box section, a roller and roller housing assembly(disposed below each member, v

each assembly embodying a pair of rollers rotatably secured to a rollerhousing, one of said rollers being engageable with .a track .for saiddoor and the other roller being engageable with a said member, andmeanson said door connected with said assemblies for imparting movementthereto toward each other to liftsaid door.

.5. A lift mechanism .for sliding car doors comprising a plurality ofspaced roller and roller housing assemblies, each of said .assemblies.embodying a pair of rollers ,rotatably secured to a roller housing, aninclined member adapted to be secured to said door .above each assembly,one of said rollers of each assembly being adapted to roll upon :a doorsupporting track and the other of said rollers to roll along and under.an inclined member to elevate said door during movement of saidassemblies, and means adapted to be mounted on said door and connectedwith said roller assemblies for imparting bodily movement thereto.

- WILFRED A. BEAUCHAMP.

